A synopsis and key to the genus Exampithoe K.H. Barnard, 1925 (Amphipoda: Senticaudata: Ampithoidae), with descriptions of five new species

Abstract

Exampithoe K.H.Barnard, 1925is a genus of ampithoid amphipods that have a Gondwanan origin and distribution. The species in the genus are algal dwellers (usually on the Dictyotales species group) and are often large (around 10 millimetres) with a 'leggy' appearance produced by having a shallow body, short coxae, and long, relatively narrow pereopods. The genus, comprised of ten species prior to this study, has had a status that was in flux. It was previously considered a separate subfamily of Ampithoidae consisting of two separate genera, and prior to that as two subgenera in one genus. A recent study did not recognise the subfamily, and synonymised the two genera within the subfamily. This study provides a synopsis of the genus, using the new assignation, describes five new species, and provides a key to the world species.